The golden land…

The golden land…

Wasn't that wretched place supposed to make everything better?

Battler's eyes narrowed. His piercing gaze set on the floor had the potential to make even Virgilia wince. He didn't care about being frightening. In those cold eyes, one who knew him well enough would be able to see the hint of pain. The only problem was, there weren't many of those people.

Virgilia, who had been sitting across from him for a while, furrowed her eyebrows. Her eyes were always closed shut, allowing some kind of ethereal peace to cloud around her face; it always looked as though she were asleep. Today, however, they were left wide open, and they had been for the past few days. As the Witch of Finite, she has been around for over a thousand years. She's seen much more than Battler could ever imagine, but the events that had unfolded recently left her in a state of odd confusion.

The ethereal cloud of peace that blanketed her evaporated at the sight of the violet.

"Battler..." She attempted to start a conversation with the troubled young Sorcerer, even though she knew it was futile.

"…"

Even without any sign of a reply, Virgilia continued, her voice soft and sympathetic, "...Those events are a thing of the past."

Battler's grip on the armrests tightened, but he had yet to say a word.

"It is time to let go." Virgilia had to force those words out of her mouth, even though she herself didn't want to forget. Just the mere thought of her disciple...she just knew it scarred Battler much more severely than herself.

"Ah…" Battler gave out a nearly inaudible reply, "...I-I guess that's...best...isn't it…?"

Virgilia, though it was sudden, didn't want to answer that question. As though her mind had stopped functioning, her eyes fixed on the wall, impossibly wide.

"...Beato would want you to forget her…" The words rolled off her tongue amidst a trance. She didn't know what exactly she'd said until she witnessed Battler's rather strange reaction.

He chuckled.

A twinge of humour laced the bitterness, and he laughed.

"I guess she would…" He replied sheepishly, his hand beginning to slowly rub the back of his head, "…but...when'd I ever listen to her?"

As though a chill wind rushed through the metaworld, the air suddenly grew tense.

Battler lowered his head, far enough so that his eyes were hidden by the shadow of his hair. A frown became apparent on his face. Uncharacteristic sadness shined beneath his eyelashes.

"Did I… tell you this before? I...I want to see her again." He murmured. No, Virgilia hadn't ever heard Battler say such a thing. Her eyes closed, and her face set in stone.

The silence resting around the metaworld became a void.

It was repulsive.

A/N: This is very old.
Very, very old.

I found it on my hotmail. I had sent it to myself from my phone a long time ago. I forgot to save it. ._.

I'm still not sure where this is set, but...Battler is upset, Virgilia's eyes are open, and Beatrice is gone. Huh...